Effects of support groups on anxiety of family members during critical illness.
A critical illness event may precipitate anxiety and a state of crisis for members of the patient's family. Many stressors produce anxiety, such as an unexpected onset of illness and fragmented support provided in critical care settings. This quasi-experimental study examined the effectiveness of support groups in reducing state anxiety of adult family members during a relative's critical illness. A target sample was used to assign subjects to the treatment groups. The control group (n = 30) received bedside support from nurses and other health professionals during visiting hours or condition reports. Experimental subjects (n = 25) attended a support group to share feelings and experiences in coping with illness. No significant differences were found in prestate or poststate anxiety scores between the two groups, but experimental subjects had a significant reduction in anxiety from premeasures to postmeasures (p less than or equal to 0.01). These findings provide a basis for continued research on the effectiveness of interventions in reducing the anxiety associated with the crisis of critical illness in the family system.
Halm
M A
MA
Critical Care Nursing Division, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety; D003419:Crisis Intervention / Q000379:methods; D003422:Critical Care / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D012107:Research Design; D012657:Self-Help Groups